In this thought-provoking episode, entrepreneur and author Jeff Burningham joins us to discuss his new book, The Last Book Written by a Human: Becoming Wise in the Age of AI. In a time when algorithms generate content, answer questions, and shape decisions, Jeff asks a bold and urgent question: What does it mean to be truly human—and truly wise?

We talk about what separates wisdom from intelligence, how AI is reshaping everything from creativity to ethics, and what qualities we must preserve if we want to live meaningfully in a world increasingly run by machines.

In this episode, we’re joined by Carla Malden—accomplished screenwriter, memoirist, and novelist—to discuss her latest work, Playback, a gripping psychological noir set against the shadows of modern-day Los Angeles.

Carla, daughter of the legendary Oscar-winning actor Carl Malden, brings a cinematic edge and emotional depth to her storytelling. In Playback, she explores the blurry lines between memory and truth, perception and reality, and how our pasts haunt our present.

Join us as we talk inspiration, family legacy, the writing life, and what happens when the all converge.

Captain James Cook—celebrated explorer, national hero, and tragic figure—set out on his third and final voyage with a mission that would change the world. But what did his journey cost, and who paid the price?

In this episode, acclaimed historian and bestselling author Hampton Sides joins us to discuss The Wide Wide Sea, his sweeping new chronicle of Cook’s last expedition. We explore the entanglement of science, empire, and myth, and the cultural collisions that shaped a turning point in global history.

Hampton shares the surprising truths he uncovered about Cook, the Indigenous cultures Cook encountered—and how one of history’s most famous explorers became an agent of irreversible change.

Who was Hazel? Why was her brutal murder buried in history — and how did it inspire one of the most iconic TV shows of all time?

In this episode, author Jerry Drake joins us to discuss his riveting new book Hazel Was a Good Girl, which reopens a nearly century-old cold case that eerily parallels the plot of Twin Peaks. Part investigation, part historical exposé, and part cultural reflection, the book seeks to restore the truth and dignity to a young woman whose life and death shaped a strange corner of American mythology.

Beloved children’s author Kate DiCamillo joins us to discuss her enchanting new novel Ferris, a heartfelt story about family, courage, and the power of imagination. In this conversation, Kate reflects on the creation of Ferris Wilkey—a curious, kind-hearted girl navigating mystery, love, and change in her offbeat household.

We explore how Kate finds magic in the mundane, what it means to write truthfully, and why laughter and loss belong in the same story. Whether you're a fan of Because of Winn-Dixie or meeting Kate for the first time, this episode will remind you why her stories stay with us long after the final page.

On today’s episode, we’re joined by author Samantha York to talk about her haunting and lyrical debut novel, The Foreshore. Set against a shifting coastal landscape, the novel traces the emotional tides of memory, loss, and resilience through characters who are just as vulnerable and unpredictable as the sea itself.

We discuss the symbolism behind the shoreline, the role of silence and solitude, and what it means to build a life on ground that’s constantly changing. It’s a conversation about grief, storytelling, and the spaces between land and water—and between people.

This episode features an energizing conversation with author and leadership coach Andy Crocker about his new book The Unconditionals: Five Timeless Values to Live Without Limits and Ignite Your Superpower.

Andy shares the core values that can help anyone break through fear, overcome limitations, and unlock their inner potential. Whether you’re navigating a career shift, a personal setback, or simply looking to live more intentionally, this episode is packed with insight, encouragement, and practical wisdom. Internal reflection is something that many of us do not do enough, this book shows just how important that is, as well as guide us along the way.

What happens when a group of grieving grandmothers takes on a brutal dictatorship in the name of truth and justice?

In today’s episode, we speak with award-winning journalist and author Haley Cohen Gilliland about her extraordinary new book, A Flower Traveled In My Blood. Through deep research and personal storytelling, the book chronicles the decades-long fight of the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo to uncover the fates of their stolen grandchildren—taken during Argentina’s Dirty War and raised under false identities. This is a conversation about resilience, memory, science, justice—and the power of ordinary people to defy tyranny.

In this episode, we sit down with author and historian Forest Issac Jones to discuss his new book Good Trouble: The Selma, Alabama and Derry, Northern Ireland Connection 1963–1972. This powerful work uncovers the striking parallels between two seemingly distant civil rights struggles—across the American South and the streets of Northern Ireland.

Forest walks us through the political, cultural, and spiritual ties that united these movements, from shared strategies of nonviolence to government crackdowns and the enduring power of grassroots resistance.

In this episode, we dive deep into the intellectual lives of two of Canada’s most influential media theorists: Harold Innis and Marshall McLuhan. Author and professor Tom Cooper joins us to explore his new book, The Lives and Thought of Harold Innis and Marshall McLuhan, offering unique insights into their work, relationship, and relevance in our hyperconnected world.

We unpack everything from Innis's time-biased and space-biased media framework to McLuhan’s famously cryptic “the medium is the message”—and how both thinkers anticipated the digital age in uncanny ways.